A message to the crooked cops of America from a George Floyd protester: We need you
Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg once stated that the NYPD was the seventh largest military in the world. Regardless of its accuracy, the claim holds true in many ways. NYPD staffs roughly 55,000 personnel and comes in sixth in the world as far as vehicular fleet volume (cars, helicopters, submersibles, and so on). The force virtually has its own navy, with a budget which ranks at number 36 internationally in terms of defense spending — we’re talking the realm and ballpark of national militaries, not police departments. Nine thousand vehicles, 36 naval vessels, and an annual spending budget of $5.5 billion.
We don’t have the resources to take that on.
Policing has a well-documented history of bias and racially motivated oppression; it’s in the ethical fabric of the institution of law enforcement. Anyone with a conscience that’s been paying attention to social media or the general news cycle of the last few years either holds a thorough understanding of this, or is wilfully and adamantly ignorant to this reality.
I happen to hold the nuanced and unfashionable opinion that not all cops share the same agenda. Granted, the institution of policing, as many of us know, is racist — but this letter is a plea and a call for support from cops who don’t follow orders or protocol; cops who are in solidarity with protesters; who turn a blind eye to burning and looting; who understand the deep frustration and moral logic behind what’s happening in Minnesota and beyond. Cops who hold regard for Black life.
We need you, Crooked Cop. You’re the crowning example of policing at its best and there needs to be a rebranding of your image.
See, the crooked cop I’m talking about isn’t stealing money and confiscating drugs from dealers to resell or abuse. They’re turning a blind eye when anti-police graffiti is being tagged, or stopping and reprimanding other cops from using excessive force. Again, you’re in solidarity with protestors and slack on the job when protestors burn and loot. A truly Freedom Fighting Uncle Sam would want you on his force.
We need cops so surged in empathy and sympathy that they forget how to author their handcuffs when they see a young person yelling “F**k the police” at them.
This letter is a plea to you, the crooked cop. The cop with a conscience. We know you exist. We know you’re feeling some inner turmoil and guilt. It’s clear as day that you do not wear a badge of honor over your heart. Your oath is an immoral and nonsensical one given the foundations of your governing institution. You know this, we both do – I’m just in more of a position to openly acknowledge it.
In all honesty, we understand why you’re on a power trip. You are the law. You wield the power to kill. You’re an adjudicator, governing the timeline of Black lives whether via
imprisonment or blank murder. You probably joined the force because you wanted to use the gun. And you understand the deep-rooted fundamentals of the social constructs allowing you to abuse Black bodies. But, Crooked Cop, fortunately for us, at the deepest pits of your soul … you know it’s wrong.
This isn’t cops and robbers — it’s policing a more noble fleet of Robin Hoods.
Good cops, we don’t like you. We’re not concerned with you. You’re the type upholding the immoral values and socially unethical penal codes of an institution dawned from the “Slave Patrol.” The boys in black and blue have delivered far more than their share of bruises.
Crooked cops, we’re asking you to join a silent boycott. Don’t tell your colleagues. Be rogue. Don’t share your intentions, but do the right thing. Have some honor in the shadows. There’s life outside the badge, and you’ve probably already abused its power before; why not do it for something worthwhile? Play undercover protester while in uniform. Not unlike union workers striking because of the unethical and unfair practices of their employers, I ask that you participate in silent strikes and boycotts. The type of unannounced demonstration where your intentions are unknown to your good cop colleagues, but when in the heat of the moment act according to deeper moral law and societal consciousness.
We know you’re tearing up on the inside, wearing that suit every day while feeling a deep sense of shame and disillusionment when you stare in the mirror. Make yourself proud and do the right thing. Fight the power, from within.
This is a letter to the roughly 700,000 police officers in the United States. Work for the people, not against them. Every moment holds a ripple effect. And remember: Without the good cop, there is no crime wave.
